Kinect

Kinect for Windows isn't expected to arrive until 2014, however as of today developers have the opportunity to apply for early access. Microsoft has opened the application process and made it clear there is a "limited number of spots in the program." Those looking to apply should know there is some fine print and that all applications must be completed before the end of July.

While many gamers have been focusing on the various fiascos surrounding the Xbox One's used game policy and such (for which Microsoft pulled a 180), one thing that a lot of people have overlooked is the intense focus that Microsoft is putting on its Kinect sensor with the new console. While it can be considered an accessory of sorts for the Xbox 360, the Xbox One Kinect takes things to a whole new level.

Ever since Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One and the new Kinect sensor, privacy advocates have been up in arms about how the Kinect watches and listens to its users at all times in order to be at the ready when a voice command or hand gesture is initiated. Lawmakers are also joining in, proposing a new bill that wouldn't ban this kind of technology, but require an opt-in option.

Microsoft wasn't terribly clear on certain aspects of the Xbox One upon its unveiling, and one area that raised concerns was a claim that the device was "always on," serving as a type of spy in your living room listening to your conversations and peeking at your activities. Microsoft made a couple attempts to clear up some of these concerns last month, but today has detailed privacy specifics that gamers can expect from their next-gen console.

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the various new features of the Xbox One, but one of those features seems to have been settled. The Kinect sensor that many people feared would always be listening to your conversations can actually be turned off when not needed. Otherwise, you can use the Kinect to tell it to turn on your fancy new console.

The Xbox One will be able to spot new people even if they're not actively playing, speak to gamers in a manner similar to Siri on the iPhone, and allow stuck players to seek help over Skype, it's rumored. Microsoft was coy with showing all of the new Kinect's features, according to Polygon's sources, at the Xbox One launch last week, saving some of the more advanced two-way interaction for closer to launch.

The Xbox One introduced a new generation of Kinect motion-sensing earlier this week - now it's time for Microsoft to show how the Kinect for Windows sensor will be evolving as well. This update brings on the Xbox One's Kinect sensor in a package that'll have Windows machines making full use of a sharper HD color camera, noise-isolating microphone array, and a wider field of view than in past Kinect units.

Next-gen gaming won't be truly immersive until it blows, Disney Research believes, and it has the Kinect accessory to fix that tactile omission. Aireal uses a focused blast of air, fired from a compact cannon designed to sit alongside a sensor-bar like Kinect, to make action on the screen feel all the more realistic; shown off at SIGGRAPH in July, the cannon can track a player around and synchronize with the gameplay.

Microsoft has attempted to reassure privacy-perplexed gamers that the new Xbox One will not be a permanent spy camera in their living room, promising that the updated Kinect sensor will support "completely secure" shut-down modes. Kinect will be a standard part of the new Xbox One package, with the new motion-tracking bar even more accurate and perceptive than before, capable even of tracking a gamer's heart rate with no physical contact.

In case you somehow missed the hoopla, Microsoft's next-generation Xbox One gaming console was officially unveiled today, and it turns out that Kinect will be a big part of the system - so big, in fact, that it is a required piece of hardware. The Kinect for Xbox One won't be limited to just use with the gaming console, however, according to the device's program manager Scott Evans.